The Best of 2012: The Top 10 Most Memorable Game Show Moments of 2012

Happy New Year’s Eve everyone! In honor of the pending arrival of 2013, I would like to take a moment and reflect on the record-breaking, history-making, and big money game show moments from this year. Tonight’s article, the last The Blog Is RIght article of 2012, will be dedicated to counting down the ten most memorable and unforgettable game show moments of 2012. Here’s to the new year! Enjoy!

#10: The Celebrity Chase Christmas Edition (December 21, 2012)

In this special holiday edition of The Celebrity Chase, the show decked the set with Christmas paraphernalia and with a special surprise for the contestants, studio audience, and the home viewers: each of the four chasers dressed in pantomime costumes and all four playing in at least one round. Mark Labbett was dressed as the giant from “Jack and The Beanstalk”, Anne Hegerty dressed as the the Wicked Queen from “Snow White”, Paul Sinha dressed as Captain Hook, and Shaun Wallace was amusingly dressed as one of the wicked stepsisters from “Cinderella”. On this episode, the celebrities contestants Lorraine Kelly, Craig Charles, Jamelia, and Dom Joly were all playing for their charity, Text Santa, for thousands of pounds. Will these celebrities escape the clutches of the Chasers and bank the cash for their charity? Check out the full episode here.

Earlier this summer, The Price Is Right held a nationwide search for the first male model on the most popular CBS daytime game show. The field of potential male models was narrowed down to 26 candidates and they had to compete a series of challenges, which aired on pricesright.com. The challenges included quick costume changing and writing and singing their original lyrics to the theme of The Price Is Right. About two months later, the viewers had made their decision and Rob Wilson from Boston, MA was selected as the show’s first male model over runners-up Clint Brink and Nick Denbeigh.

#8: $50,000 Super Deal Win on Let’s Make A Deal (April 2, 2012)

In honor of the 500th episode of CBS’s Let’s Make A Deal, the show brought back the Super Deal end game for two weeks. The Super Deal on the CBS version was played exactly like the original version with the exception of the small doors replaced by the ruby, sapphire, and emerald envelopes and the grand prize was upped to $50,000. During the first week of the Super Deal, few contestants took on the Super Deal challenge, but all of them failed and walked away with either $1,000 or $2,000. On April 2, 2012, Let’s Make A Deal history was made as Jorge became the biggest money winner in the history of the show. With a contestant winning over $70,000 in cash and prizes, there was no doubt that the return of the Super Deal was a successful one.

Stephanie Jass, a college professor from Milan, MI, made her way to the Jeopardy! record books as she became the longest-reigning woman champion and perhaps the first contestant ever to jokingly call Alex Trebek “the Devil” upon him goading her to place a big bet on a Daily Double in a game where she had a sizable lead over her opponents. Stephanie banked a total of $147,570 (not including the $2,000 consolation prize on day #8) during her seven-day championship run. Check out one of Stephanie’s interviews with Alex Trebek in the clip below.

#6: Grennan’s Getaway on Figure It Out (July 4, 2012)

Since Figure It Out returned to Nickelodeon, the series has managed to successfully recapture the essence of the original series from contestants performing amazing, high-flying talents to the cavalcade of Nickelodeon celebrities who appeared on the panel. The craziest and most unforgettable moment that has ever happened in the history of the entire series, past and present, occurred on July 4 after a panelist correctly guessed the “Word of Honor” and Grennan’s secret talent. This is a game show moment you will have to see it for yourself to believe it. Check it out in the clip below.

#5: Todd Newton Wins His First Daytime Emmy Award (June 23, 2012)

It’s been long overdue but Todd Newton will finally join the ranks of Bob Barker, Alex Trebek, and Richard Dawson of being an Emmy Award-winning game show host. On June 23, Newton received this coveted award at the 39th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards for his outstanding job of hosting The Hub original game show series Family Game Night for the past two seasons. Newton is no stranger to hosting game shows as he is currently one of the many hosts of The Price Is Right LIVE! in Las Vegas, and was the host of Hollywood Showdown in 2000, Powerball Instant Millionaire, and Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck, both in 2002. When he’s not hosting game shows, Todd Newton also spends his time as a certified life coach, a keynote speaker, and even a hypnotherapist! Check out Newton’s moment of glory and honor as he accepts his first Daytime Emmy Award in the clip below.

#4: The Perfect Game on Let’s Ask America

It’s very rare in game shows today where you would see a contestant play a perfect game, such as John Carpenter answering 15 questions straight on his initial appearance on Millionaire without legitimately using a lifeline. On this historic episode of of Let’s Ask America, David Luea, a campaign manager from Boston, MA, ran the gauntlet of opinion poll questions by going 8 for 8 in the main game and racking up $10,000 in the process. In the bonus round, David decided to go “all in” for a chance to quintuple his bank for a total of $50,000. His final question was “Which bachelor habit did engaged some say they most want their fiancé to give up: Video Game Marathons, Belching, 5-Second Rule, or Drinking Milk from a Carton?” Check out the clip below to find out the correct answer and to see David celebrating his five-figure victory with his girlfriend, Lisa, as he became the first contestant in the history of the new game show to play a perfect game and to win the show’s maximum grand prize.

#3: The Return of Pyramid (August 30, 2012)

August 30, 2012 marked the “unofficial” premiere of the GSN revival of one of the most beloved game shows of all time with the debut of The Pyramid. The much anticipated revival Pyramid series maintained the same front game format while modernizing the classic set, classic theme music, and in-game bonuses. Mike Richards, executive producer of The Price Is Right and Let’s Make A Deal, served as the show’s emcee and The Pyramid received generally positive reviews. In fact, the show drew in 646,000 total viewers for The Pyramid‘s official debut on September 3. About a week after the premiere week, the ratings began to dip to the point where the show might not be renewed for a second season. I hope this will not be the case for The Pyramid, but hope springs eternal. Check out clip below and judge for yourself whether or not you believe this show deserves a second season.

#2: 1.73 Million View The Series Premiere of The American Bible Challenge (August 23, 2012)

After endless hours of promotion and searching for charitable and caring contestants all across the country, GSN’s newest game show The American Bible Challenge premiered on August 23. Although there was some skepticism concerning the success of the biblical trivia game show, the series premiere of the show debuted to record-breaking ratings for the network as the episode averaged over a staggering 1.73 million viewers. During this two-month tournament, 18 three-person teams competed for over $100,000 to give to the charity of their choice. On October 18, Team Judson’s Legacy were dubbed the show’s first champions and walked away with $140,000 for their charity. The team’s mission on the show was to raise money for Hunter’s Hope, a organization which raises awareness and funds research for Krabbe Disease, a rare and fatal illness Christina and Drake’s firstborn son sadly succumbed to.

#1: Olympian Mo Farah Beats The Cube (July 14, 2012)

Since the premiere of the BAFTA award-winning game show, The Cube, in 2009, more than 46 contestants have faced the Cube’s treacherous, physically and mentally demanding challenges. Of the 46, 17 decided to stop the game and walk away with the money they have earned, 15 have lost all nine of their lives to The Cube, four were only one game away from defeating The Cube before deciding to walk away with £100,000, and one contestant was brave enough to beat the Cube at its own game and bank £250,000. On July 14, 2012 during a celebrity version of The Cube, Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m runner, Mo Farah, became the first contestant to successfully complete all seven challenges in The Cube. In Mo’s Jackpot game, he had to play a more difficult version of “Barrier”. In this game, he had to step over three short hurdles (instead of two) while blindfolded and make it to the other side of The Cube, without knocking over the hurdles. Check out Farah’s £250,000 victory in the clip below.

Honorable Mentions:

For those of you who have enjoyed reading my reviews, game show news updates, and feature articles, I can’t thank you enough for supporting The Blog Is Right. The year 2012 has been a good, busy, and productive year for TBIR. There will be much more to come in 2013 on The Blog Is Right. Stay tuned!